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Pie is probably the most necessary part of Thanksgiving to me. Mother used to make 3 apple pies, 2 blackberry pies and 1 pumpkin pie for the big crowd at our Castle Bluff Thanksgiving gathering. We would leave straight from school and the van would be all packed with pies and food. One year I …
My grandmother has been making these rolls since I was tiny. And her grandmother before her. My mom and my sister have made a few changes to this recipe over the years, so I have noted where we all differ. They also have the rising and baking down to a science. My mom can even …
Here’s a little secret about the sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. I just make them for my mom and me. Everyone else eats about a tablespoon’s worth of sweet potatoes, but Mama and I eat them like they are the star of the show. I find most sweet potato dishes to be overly sweet. I …
Several variations of this Sesame Kale Salad, which is made ahead so the kale can marinate in a sour combination of lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil, have been appearing on our table for quite some time now. I love kale because it keeps longer than salad greens, and this salad is good for …
Friends, let’s talk for a minute about vegetables at the holiday dinner. Since we have to take the disadvantages of modern day life such as being constantly connected to everyone, being inundated with information, global pollution and not being able to live you know, in the Little House on the Prairie, then by all means, …
Thanksgiving is my very most favorite holiday. To me, it is full of everything a holiday should be. Quiet, gratefulness, stores closed and homes open, family, friends, cold weather, kids piled in spare rooms and basements, couches full to busting, and of course, food. Lots of it. A beautiful table, prepared by hands that have …
Cooler temperatures bring heavier sauces and warmer dishes to my table. In the same way that I cannot get enough salad in the summertime, I am ravenous for platefuls of pasta with rich sauces in the winter. This recipe for a baked pasta with chicken and creamy red sauce fits the bill perfectly for a …
My kids’ very favorite dinner is Pasta Carbonara, a creamy pasta with bacon. They have called it “special pasta” for as long as I can remember. Somehow we tricked them at an early age to into thinking that this very simple pasta dish is actually a fancy delicacy. It is repeatedly requested for birthday dinners …
We made the cutest spider webs out of pretzels for an activity at Literacy Camp this past summer that would be a great Halloween craft and snack. This activity ties in perfectly with children’s book Anansi the Spider, the African folk tale about six spiders with different gifts for helping others. We also did …
Truth be told, I have never actually tailgated before. I’m sure this is partly due to the fact that I also don’t watch football. However, when the Arkansas Razorbacks play in Little Rock, tailgating takes up a good part of the town, as well as the local twitter, instagram and facebook feeds. So in …
Fall is in the air and I am loving all things pumpkin! I have an affinity for pumpkin recipes that call for an entire can of pumpkin. They appeal to my practical side. I don’t love to save a part of a can of pumpkin puree for some undetermined use, one that usually requires that …
Looking for dinner ideas for tonight? How about stir fry? You probably already have almost everything you need to make some variation of this meal. I love finding ideas for dinners to make that are super easy. Fall is so busy for our family and even though we’ve taken some steps to make this year …
I bought this little storybook for my parents to keep at their house a long time ago because the Grandpa in it rides a motorcycle. It’s called My Grandpa is Amazing by Nick Butterworth. My kids LOVE for their grandparents to read stories to them, especially Grandpapa, because he often changes the words in …
I love a salad that can be the main event. My sister is a master at creating a delectable salad and this one is a keeper of hers. This salad stars barbequed chicken, which I marinated and Taido grilled. The dressing has a southwestern flare, but it’s really just barbeque sauce mixed with homemade ranch. …
We had a fancy hot dog party on my Mama’s birthday last weekend. My mama is not really a hot dog girl, but we totally won her over with our gourmet toppings and these Petit Jean Polish Sausages. They are just the right amount of spicy. The sweet folks at Petit Jean Meats sent me …
We (and by we I mean, Taido) made this special drink last weekend to go with dinner. Even though the calendar has rolled into September, the summer vibe is still strong at our house. It is still warm enough that you want your cocktails cold, so instead of red wine with dinner we had this …
For as long as I can remember, we’ve been making the same birthday cake in my family. We call it Grandmother’s Chocolate Cake. It is a buttermilk chocolate sheet cake with a pecan fudge icing. You serve it with vanilla ice cream. It is even more perfect if you also have a cup of coffee. …
Chocolate and peanut butter have long been happy companions at our house, so when I saw a recipe in All You magazine for homemade chocolate peanut butter cups, I knew I had to try it. Ben and Mary Polly were all over this project! They both jumped in and helped, which was …
Black Bean Confetti I am crazy for all the ingredients in this Tex-Mex bowl of yumminess. Also, all the colors make me happy. Every once in a while my friend Rhonda and I cater an event for someone. Mostly we do it because we love cooking together so much. We recently made two huge bowls …
Here’s an easy treat we made in honor of the Olympics this week! Patriotic Pretzels! We dipped pretzels in melted almond bark and then Simon sprinkled them. They harden in about 20 minutes on parchment paper. Then you can scoop them up and serve them in a bowl. So easy! And we decided they almost …